Actor, director, producer, playwright, teacher — Steel River Playhouse’s new artistic director Gene Terruso is comfortable in all those roles. But that was not always the case.

Unlike so many theater people, despite his mother’s unflagging encouragement, he was not dying to get on stage. In fact he studiously avoided it until high school.

Terruso grew up in a West Philadelphia neighborhood and back then, it wasn’t cool to be a theater geek.

Trying out for shows, “was not a manly thing to do,” he said with a bemused smile.

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Then, in high school, a friend convinced him to try out for “The Mouse That Roared” — and he not only got a part — he landed the lead.

And in most cases, you would think that that was the start of his illustrious career.

But it’s not. “The first rehearsal came, and I chickened out. I didn’t go,” he said.

Terruso promised he would show up for the second night — but he didn’t. He knew the teacher really wanted him for the role and again he said “I’ll be there” and again, he was a no-show.

“And that was as close (to theater) as I got for a number of years,” Terruso said. “Although I did perform as a pianist and was a singer in a rock band.”

That could have been the end of the story, but his reluctance or stage fright merely delayed his discovering his passion for theater.

Several years later, as a sophomore at the University of Scranton, he bumped into his best friend who asked. “Are you going to audition?” and Terruso replied “For what?”

“The play about us,” his friend said. The play was “White Buffalo,” written by students about a protest at the school the year before when students tried to shut down the administration building. Others from the event were also trying out and Terruso felt more comfortable about it. He played one of the authors and finally found his calling.

At Scranton, he tried his hand at acting and directing and took a real leap of faith when he decided to take his student loan check and use it to produce and direct a show — “A Man For All Seasons.” He made back all but $20 of his investment and finally found his career path.

What ensued is a distinguished career that took him all across the country to some of the most prestigious playhouses, institutions and organizations in the theater world.

His resume includes being former president of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the nation’s oldest acting conservatory whose alumni have been nominated for 96 Oscars, 245 Emmys and 86 Tonys.

He also is the former director of Philadelphia’s University of the Arts’ famed Ira Brind School of Theater, artistic director of the prestigious Provincetown Playhouse, New York’s oldest Off-Broadway theater, and executive director of the renowned 92nd Street Y’s American Jewish Theatre.

He founded the popular “Broad Topic” series at the Merriam Theater, interviewing actors such as Kathleen Turner, Valerie Harper, Estelle Parsons, Sandra Bernhard, Richard Thomas, George Wendt and many other notable artists.

He was the director of the School of Theatre at Northern Illinois University and producing artistic director of the Chicago-based award-winning professional company, SummerN.I.T.E. Theatre Festival.

He also directed for numerous New York-area theaters and performed on Broadway and regional stages, as well as for television and film.

Education is another passion and he has been an instructor at Rutgers University, University of the Arts, Northern Illinois University, Yale University and at various international festivals.

In his spare time, he’s written several plays and musicals.

So what brings Terusso to Pottstown?

Steel River’s philosophy of diversity and dedication to education was a factor.

“One of the things I really found most attractive about Steel River and the community was the range of educational responsibilities that we take on. Not only are we here to develop tomorrow’s audiences and train and expose the youngest of our students to theater, but we take very seriously the importance of also providing educational and performance opportunities for special groups. We have each year something from the African American canon selected for our season. We have both education and performance opportunities for seniors. That’s something not a lot of companies do. I was very comfortable with those focuses and thought this is a terrific complement to all of the production-side things I’d like to do.”

Terruso also noticed a rebirth and reinvention of the borough that includes Steel River and the downtown area, “The people (at Steel River) have such positive attitudes. There is a commitment and chemistry.” And in meetings with community members, “I’m picking up the same vibe from the business community and the board. There is an authenticity, a genuineness to the warmth of the welcome you get.”

Terruso brings his wealth of experience to Steel River and Executive Director Marta Kiesling is beyond excited about it. “It’s so validating for Steel River and for Pottstown to have someone of Gene’s caliber to choose to work here. We began a nationwide search in September when Deborah Stimson-Snow announced she was stepping down as artistic director. We had more than 170 applicants from all over the country. I did 65 telephone interviews to narrow down the field. When I spoke with Gene in October, I knew he was a frontrunner.”

Terruso also has a broad and eclectic palate when it comes to theater, so area audiences have much to look forward to. He “loves new plays,” but is also “ a bit of a traditionalist.” He loves musicals as well as serious plays and comedies.

He’s excited about Steel River’s upcoming production of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” which won a Pulitzer Prize, but he’s equally enthusiastic about “The Music Man,” later in the season. It’s a “personal favorite” for Terruso since it’s the very first Broadway show he ever saw.

On a personal note, he and his wife, Lorraine Barrett, live in Wynnewood, Lower Merion. She works for the Devereaux Foundation at Villanova. They have two children, Julia, who is a reporter for The Inquirer and Gregory, an athlete and musician in his sophomore year at Syracuse University.

Want to meet Gene Terruso?

Steel River is holding several meet-and greet sessions for the community to get to know Terruso. They are scheduled for

For more information on Gene Terruso, details on the meet-and-greet schedule and upcoming shows, visit steelriver.org.

About the Author

Cheryl Thornburg has been in the news business for more than 30 years, covering just about everything but sports. She is the arts and features editor for the Mercury with a particular interest in live theater. Cheryl grew up in Reading, Pa., has lived in Massachusetts and New Mexico, and is glad to be back home in Pennsylvania after being away for 35 years. Reach the author at cthornburg@pottsmerc.com
or follow Cheryl on Twitter: @mercartscheryl.